


The Forest

by Evilsforreals



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Love, M/M, One Shot, Oral Sex, Romance, Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-12
Updated: 2014-04-12
Packaged: 2018-01-19 01:50:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1450963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evilsforreals/pseuds/Evilsforreals
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An art exchange with the lovely imagining-scribbles</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Forest

The early sunrise began to spread a soft gold-tinted glow through the dusty window pane; illuminating the tiny clouds of dust that spun through the air in lazy arcs. The light slowly moved across the room, over the cluttered piles of opened books, hastily scribbled notes, and the rumpled pile of covers in the center of a majestic king-sized bed. The largest hump of blood-red silk covers was slightly rising and falling in-time with a whisper of a snore coming from the depths of the bundle.

There was a slight tapping from the door, and a weedy voice rang out timidly against the comfortable silence of the room. “Prince Armin, your lessons begin soon, do you require assistance this morning?”

A particularly loud snore was the only given answer to the question. After a brief pause, the door handle slowly opened, and a petite looking girl with bright yellow hair cautiously stepped into the room. She moved hesitantly, nervously trying to straighten out the wrinkles in her skirt. She approached the mahogany bed, where the snoring had begun to intensify.

“Prince Armin, please wake up, Shadis is on the way, and he’ll be most displeased if you’re still sleeping when he arrives!”

There was an audible pause between snores, before they suddenly redoubled, louder and more jarring than before. The girl couldn’t help but let out a small giggle at the spectacle of this horrendous sound coming from the depths of the blanket pile.

A hand emerged from the folds, sluggishly grasping for the top part of the covers. After several missed attempts, the hand successfully yanked at the covers, unwinding the blanket fortress to reveal the person within.

Armin pushed a tangled lock of sandy yellow hair from his face, and gave a loud yawn. He rubbed his head, feeling a mass of tangles and knots; the price of last night’s sleep. He opened one eye, to squint sleepily at the girl, who was now backing up from the bed, her face red with embarrassment.

“You couldn’t give me another five minutes Historia?” Armin asked, fighting back another sigh.

Historia shook her head, her hair dancing back and forth. “Instructor Shadis said that he wouldn’t tolerate tardiness; royalty or not.” She paused, realizing the implication of what she had just said to Armin, and her face flushed again. “His words! Not mine, I wouldn’t-“

Armin shushed her with a wave, and slowly continued the arduous process of extracting himself from his sheets. “I don’t know why that old fool insists on so many lessons. I already know all of the material anyway…” Armin rambled as he finally stepped down onto the soft white carpet. He took a moment to appreciate the feeling of his bare feet on the soft material, before gesturing towards Historia.

With a flash, Historia was behind him, comb in hand, and set about doing her best to gently disentangle his hair. Her hands danced in an intricate and familiar rhythm, slowly prying and plying the fibers and knots to unravel. She sprinkled a handful of water on his head, and gently began to brush the loosened strands until it cascaded equally on all sides, giving a bright shine to his hair.

Historia gave a small sigh of approval, and straightened up, heading for the door. “I’ve set out your day clothes in the next room, and breakfast. Shadis will be here in about twenty minutes. Good day, Prince Armin.” She gave a slight curtsy, dipping her head down, before scooting backwards out of the room, closing the door with a sharp click.

Armin wearily moved towards the wardrobe, giving a slight grimace as his foot accidentally toppled one of the precarious stacks of books. He spotted the clothes laid out on one of the soft green chintz armchairs, and snatched it up; a deep blue tunic with silver inlay, and dark gray trousers, with an intricate woven belt of rich brown leather and gold. Armin began to pull the garments on, pausing to catch a whiff of spice in the air. His mouth began to water, as the scent began to permeate the entire room.

Armin quickly finished dressing, and moved towards the source of the appetizing scent. He faltered a moment as he passed a large ornate mirror, to check his appearance. Historia was good as always. The previous mess of snarls was now a sleek shimmering wave that contrasted beautifully with the piercing blue of the freshly laundered tunic. His stomach interrupted his reverie with a low growl, and he quickly returned to the task at hand.

An ornate silver tray sat on a small intricately carved dais. There was steaming pitcher of freshly made tea that gave off a light lemon-scented miasma. There were several slices of steaming brown bread, with a pat of butter in the shape of two wings nestled between the slices, as well as a small selection of fresh fruits. Armin wasted no time in tearing into the breakfast tray, in a very un-prince-like demeanor.

He was halfway through tearing one of the slices of bread in half with his teeth, when he heard a knock at the door; not timid like Historias, but bold and commanding. “Enter,” Armin said, pushing the tray towards the center of the table and rising to his feet.

Instructor Shadis swept into the room, the coattails of his jacket billowing behind him, adding to the imposing nature of his appearance. He was dressed in black military regalia, with the silver blue insignia of the kingdom over his heart; the same insignia printed on the pat of butter now resting in Armin’s belly. He gave a curt bow, before moving towards another one of the chintz chairs.

“Today we will be reviewing the history of the founding of the kingdom of Sina,” he growled curtly. “I trust you’ve done the reading for today’s lesson, Master Arlert?”

Armin sighed in exasperation but gave an affirming nod to the officer. Shadis glowered at the prince. “Then you may begin with the Treaty of the Wall during the Month of the Wolf.”

_“On the eve of the Month of the Wolf, the kingdom of Rose approached the King of Maria to form an alliance. This alliance was meant as a political maneuver to ensure the protection of both kingdoms against the prospect of famine.”_

A stream of monotonous information continued to spill out of Armin’s mouth. Shadis, however, did not look pleased at this regurgitation of information.

“Stop, stop it this instant Master Arlert!”

Armin gave Shadis a sullen glare, as his diatribe faded into silence. “Is there a problem Sir Shadis?”

The older man gave a grunt of annoyance. “I believe I’ve mentioned this to you before. There is a difference between regurgitating facts, and _understanding_ information.”

“I don’t see a difference, I know the material, I _always_ know the material,” Armin snapped. The two glared at one another. This was a common source of aggravation between teacher and student. Armin had the ability to easily memorize vast amounts of information. But Shadis constantly argued that being able to repeat the information wasn’t the same as conceptualizing it.

Shadis spoke tersely out of the side of his mouth, his teeth gritted in frustration. “Master Arlert, I still believe that one must take a more active role in learning the material, not just memorizing it. If you should ever find yourself on your own in need of, say, a fire or shelter, you would need-“

_“A suitable solution to quickly being able to start a fire is to make use of any focusing lens that you may have. Even a sufficiently sized piece of broken glass can be used to focus sunlight to start a fire. Shelter can be devised in a number of ways, from finding wide spread leafy branches to create a frame, or seeking out overturned trees to use the base as protection from the element-“_

“This is exactly what I’m saying!” Shadis spat. “You know the information, but it’s one thing to know it, then to be able to act on it!”

Armin gave the officer a frosty glare. “I have done _exactly_ what you asked of me. If you’re going to continue complaining about the logistics of my studies, I don’t believe I will require your services for the rest of today until you’ve composed yourself.”

At this, Shadis’s face turned an ugly mottled red. “M-Me? Composed? Listen here, you ungrateful-“

“That will be all for today, thank you,” Armin intoned with a patronizing air of finality. He gestured towards the remnants of the breakfast tray. “Would you be so kind as to take that down to the kitchens, and have my horse readied?”

Shadis’s mouth opened and closed in silent unspeakable rage. After several tense seconds, he made a movement, and Armin flinched. But Shadis merely snatched the tray up and strode from the room, slamming the door as he went. Armin breathed a sigh, and gazed up at the ceiling. _Stubborn old man,_ he thought to himself. _I understand all the concepts, all the history, but it isn’t enough._

Maybe a ride through the town would clear his head. He nodded to himself. Yes, a ride through the kingdom always seemed to relax him.

 

* * *

 

Armin descended the staircase, pulling a dark brown riding cloak over his shoulders in the process. He made his way through the corridors and staircases of the palace, until he finally reached the stables. The two  stablehands were busy combing the mane of a small cream-colored Palfrey, Armin’s personal horse. “Good morning Marco, Jean, how’s Brimm today?”

The two stablehands leapt to attention at the sound of Armin’s voice. Marco, the darker-skinned boy with a smattering of freckles had a welcoming smile on his face. “Good morning milord, Brimm’s well rested, and has been looking forward to stretching his legs.”

Jean, the paler boy with a strange contrast of hair color on the bottom and top of his head chimed in. “Yes, it’s a wonderful day for riding! Do you require an escort today?”

Armin waved dismissively at the question. “No need for it today, I don’t plan on being out for too long.”

Jean and Marco nodded, and quickly moved forward to assist the prince in getting on his horse. Jean held Brimm steady, while Marco carefully clasped his palms together to make a step for Armin to climb. Armin braced his leg against the boy’s hands, and gently lifted himself up, and onto the back of Brimm. He gave the horse a comforting pat, and Brimm responded with a gentle snort.

Jean and Marco bowed, as Armin teased the reins to the side, leading Brimm out of the stable at a modest canter. Armin couldn’t help but smile to himself. He could see how hard Jean had fallen for Marco, despite doing his best to keep it hidden and subtle. Despite the happy sensation of seeing those two together, Armin sighed. Was he ever going to find someone the way Jean had found Marco?

Armin forced the thought out of his mind, as he turned the corner, and slowly made his way into the heart of the town. The street was buzzing with activity as Brimm slowly meandered through the streets. Shopkeepers were yelling their prices while tending to mountains of soft yellow cheeses, fresh local produce, and various assortments of meats. The bombardment of scents and sounds was enough to keep Armin thoroughly occupied as he let Brimm lead him on, and let the cacophony of town life peacefully lull him.

Occasionally, one of the townspeople would recognize the prince, and would hastily offer a salute or a bow, but Armin had never been an egotistical prince. He understood that they were far busier than him, and was humbled when they took time to offer a show of respect. Whenever a villager bowed or saluted, Armin made sure to give them a warm smile and nod of affirmation.

This continued as he made his way farther from the castle. The sun was high in the cloudless sky, warming his back through the cloak so much, that Armin eventually took off the cloak, and stashed in a side pouch of his saddle. He looked up, and realized he had made his way to the gates of the city. A fine mosaic of burnished gray stone made up the composition of the wall, with an imposing oak drawbridge spanning the dam that surrounded the city.

Armin hesitated. He knew that that he wasn’t supposed to go beyond the gates without an escort. But past the bridge, he could see the sunlight dancing through the trees, as the branches swayed in the soft summer breeze, and he felt a sudden longing to be among the trees. He gently coaxed Brimm forward, and he trotted across the bridge, listening to the distinct clack of Brimm’s horseshoes on the lacquered wood. A moment later, he was beyond the gate.

Armin let out a sigh. He realized that his shoulders had been tensed up; he had half-expected a guard to call out to him, to inquire as to why the prince was leaving the safety of the town on his own. But no one had questioned him, and now here he was, in the peace and serenity of the quiet forest.

He rode in silence for several minutes, not sure where he was heading, but enjoying the brazenness of his decision. The path slowly vanished until Brimm was softly marching through tall grass, and crunching branched with his hooves.

After some time, the trees fell away as they entered a meadow. Armin spied a rough tree stump, and halted next to it. He slid off of Brim onto the oak circle, hand still holding gently to the reins. He found a sturdy tree branch with plenty of fresh green grass underneath, and tied a simple knot with the lead rope, securing Brimm.

Armin lowered himself down onto the soft grass, and stared up at the bright blue sky. A few fluffy gray clouds were passing by overhead. _Hmm, those could be cumulus clouds,_ Armin thought to himself sleepily. _But it would take a great deal to make them storm clouds_ …

The heat of the day, plus the softness of the grass were taking its toll on Armin. _Maybe just a quick nap,_ as his eyelids flickered shut, lulled by the deliciously humid breeze. His last vision before sleep claimed him was Brimm, happily chewing on the grass.

* * *

 

 Armin didn’t want to open his eyes. The soft relaxing vacuum of sleep was still weighing on his mind.

Armin shook his head, determined to ignore the strange chilling sensation on his forehead.

**CRACK**

Armin’s head shot up, his arms flailing haphazardly in an attempt to find the source of the deafening explosion that had finally jerked him from his sleep. Armin was met with a face full of water. He pawed at his eyes, coughing in surprise, and opened it to see the glade.

The wind had picked up from a gentle breeze to a powerful gale, laying the tall grass flat as it swept past the trees with a ferocious intensity. Huge raindrops peppered the already saturated ground, as another blazing bolt of lightning arced across the now darkening sky.

Armin gaped in shock and disbelief. _How long was I asleep? The clouds surely couldn’t have formed that quickly!_

He turned, and began staggering his way toward Brimm. Or rather, Brimm’s saddle, still handily tied to the tree. The horse had somehow managed to extricate himself from the saddle, and was nowhere to be seen.

“Damn!”

Armin wasn’t one for swearing, but he felt that this situation demanded it. He looked around the swampy meadow miserably. He was beginning to shiver from the rain pelting him from all sides. He suddenly remembered his cloak from earlier, and quickly dug it out of the saddle pouch, pulling it over his head in an attempt to somewhat protect himself from the elements.

Armin stared dully at the sky, as if glaring at it would stop the rain. The storm answered with another colossal lightning bolt that made Armin flinch. Armin turned and began to march resignedly towards the village.

It wasn’t for several minutes before Armin began to realize that with the wind and rain, the forest was virtually indistinguishable.  Every tree looked the same, and all of the grass was now trampled from the rain. Armin felt a knot of panic beginning to form in his chest. _If the sun was out I would know my direction, but it’s too dark, too stormy!_

Armin continued to push his way through the woods, holding the thin cloak above his head to grant him more vision. But by now, the rain was falling so harshly that it did next to nothing in terms of keeping him dry or granting him vision.

What felt like hours later, Armin felt like he was going to collapse. By this point he was utterly soaked and chilled to the bone, his tunic sticking to his skin. It felt as if he hadn’t even moved; everything still looked the same amidst the roaring wind, and pouring rain. Armin leaned against a tree to catch his breath.

 He was staring blankly around him, when he heard a soft pattering through the monotonous crash of the rain. A rhythmic thumping against the cold damp earth. Armin’s heart leapt; it must be the guards from the village, coming to look for him! “Hello! I’m here, it’s me, Prince Armin!” he yelled into the roaring maelstrom.

He strained to hear an answer from whoever was moving nearby. But he couldn’t hear the thump anymore. He tried again, desperate to get their attention. “I’m here!” he screamed even louder.

It was at that moment that the biggest lightning bolt Armin had ever witnessed flashed across the sky, illuminating the entire forest for a split second. And in that brief moment Armin saw something illuminated in the glare of the lightning. Through the wind and shadow, a massive gray-speckled wolf was staring at him intently, its eyes sparkling malevolently, and its snarling maw dripping with drool.

Armin’s throat closed with a snap. His heart hammered a sickening rhythm of fear through his body. Frantically, he turned, and dashed sideways through an outcropping of two poplar trees. He could feel his sluggish movements as he trampled through deep puddles of water. He desperately willed his legs to move faster, as he stumbled away from the wolf as quickly as possible.

**AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooo**

Armin felt an electric current blaze through his body, as if the lightning had struck him and imbued him with energy. Suddenly he was sprinting even faster than before; leaping over puddles and branches, and barreling through the woods. His breaths were coming in short painful gasps, but the fear in his heart kept him running.

Suddenly, there was no ground. No weight of trees or debris. Armin felt as if he was floating; slowly sailing through the air like a raindrop. And then all went dark.

 

* * *

 

“Hey. HEY, you all right?”

Armin could hardly hear the voice, his head ached, and there was a shrill ringing in his ears.

There was a slight tug on his shoulder. “Hey! You ok?”

Armin ever so slowly began to see coherently again. It was still raining, but the intensity had slightly dropped off. He slowly looked up, to see two golden eyes looking down at him. He gave a muffled yelp, and pushed himself away. “Augh!”

“Whoah, it’s ok, I’m not gonna hurt ya!”

Armin paused and squinted. The voice was husky, but high-pitched, and most definitely human. As he focused, he realized that the eyes weren’t the same cruel yellow eyes of the wolf from earlier. They were flecked with slivers of green and brown, illuminated by the contrast of the shadow across the strangers face.

“I’m…I’m sorry, for a moment-I-thought you were the wolf from earlier,” Armin said, unable to keep the shakiness out of his voice.

The stranger cocked their head to the side. “You mean old Utguard?”

Armin blanched in fear. “It was a huge gray wolf, it was drooling and howling and everything!”

The stranger tutted admonishingly. “Utguard’s pretty much domesticated. The villagers all leave out scraps for him every night. The only time he gets antsy is if people who don’t know any better surprise him.”

Armin bristled weakly at the strangers’ remark. “My horse ran away, I was lost in the woods in the middle of a thunderstorm, and then _he_ suddenly appeared! So YES I panicked and ran, and then he howled and I ran even faster and-“

“And fell of that ledge up there, yes I can see that,” the stranger said matter-of-factly. He gestured with his hand, and Armin looked up to see a steep cliff several feet above him. “Yep, you sailed right off that, and hit this tree here,” he rapped on the wood.

“W-wonderful,” Armin tried to say sarcastically, but his teeth were chattering too hard. Now that he thought about it, his arms and legs felt numb from the cold. The stranger shifted on his feet.

“We need to get you out of the cold and warmed up before you get hypothermia,” he stated rising to his feet, and extending a hand toward Armin. “Lord knows, how long you’ve been out. Can you walk?”

Armin willed his hand to move, and after a stubborn battle, the hand acquiesced, and feebly grasped the stranger’s hand. There was a slight tug, and Armin felt himself being pulled up, up-

He gasped in pain as he placed weight on his right foot, stumbling forward. The stranger quickly grabbed him with both arms, keeping him from collapsing on the spot. “My-ugh-my leg-“

The stranger let out a heavy sigh. “Come on then, I’ll carry you.”

Armin stared quizzically at the stranger. Now that he was standing, he realized that he was taller than the mysterious boy. “Are you sure that you can-“

The boy interrupted him sharply. “Do you have a better idea? Or would you rather wait here for someone taller to come save you?”

Armin glared at the stranger, before relenting. The stranger turned around, and Armin awkwardly wrapped his arms around his neck. The stranger dipped down, and the Armin felt strong arms hoisting him upwards. After a moment of adjusting Armin’s new weight, the stranger set off purposefully through the trees.

“How do you know where we’re going?” Armin asked over the moaning wind.

“I live in here, I know it like the back of my hand,” the boy retorted, his voice slightly breathless from the effort of carrying Armin.

They carried on in silence for a few minutes, before Armin piped up again. “What’s your name?”

“Connie,” he said with a hint of exasperation.

Armin frowned. “That doesn’t seem like a very masculine name.”

He felt Connie’s arms stiffen. “Well what’s your name if you’re such an expert on gauging masculinity from someone’s name?” Connie snapped angrily.

“Armin.”

Connie staggered to the side as if he had been struck a crushing blow, catching Armin’s head on a low-hanging branch.

“Ouch!” Armin groaned, rubbing his head ruefully. But the branch didn’t seem to be a big priority on Connie’s mind.

“Armin! No you can’t be! You’re…you’re _Prince Armin???”_ He asked in a terrified half-strangled whisper. His grip on Armin’s legs tightened exponentially.

“Oh, well yes-“

The rest of Armin’s words were lost beneath the frantic yelp that Connie let out. “Oh god, oh GOD, I’M CARRYING THE PRINCE PIGGY-BACK STYLE, AND I JUST MOUTHED OFF TO THE CROWN PRINCE, OH _GOD_!”

For a moment Armin was stunned at the outburst of this boy, that couldn’t be much older than him. He couldn’t help but chuckle softly at Connie’s terrified reaction.

Connie managed to stifle his shrieks, and kept walking forward, although Armin could feel his movements to be significantly more erratic. “Is that a ‘haha the silly peasant boy and his silly actions haha’ or is that more like a ‘haha I’m going to have you disemboweled with a teaspoon when we get back to the palace?”

Armin didn’t know why he would laugh in this situation. Here he was, with a hurt leg, frozen to the bone, being carried by a stranger who was shorter than him through an unknown forest, but he felt it begin deep in his belly, and slowly worm its way up, until it rang out through the forest, a light silvery laugh tinged with exhaustion and relief.

Connie moved his head to the side, trying to stare back at Armin. “It worries me that you haven’t disputed the prospect of me being disemboweled.”

“That’s so last season,” Armin said, trying to keep a serious tone and failing spectacularly at it. “This summer we’re all about decapitation.”

“Wonderful,” Connie grumbled. “An execution that makes me even shorter. The irony.” But he couldn’t help but give a brief chuckle. “Ah, we’re here.”

Armin looked up, squinting in the darkness. The rain was still coming down in torrents, but he could vaguely make out the entrance to a cave hidden by several small bushes. Under normal circumstances, Armin would be leery of entering the imposing looking hole. But here amid the rain and thunder, it looked like the palace doors. Connie slowly made his way through the bristly bushes, and they entered the cave.

Immediately, the sound of the rain was muted from the insulation of the cavern. Connie slowly lowered Armin to the ground, and proceeded to pull his cloak off and drape it over Armin. Armin could now see his face more clearly. Thin wiry eyebrows outlined his large searching eyes, with short gray bristles covering his head, giving it a soft looking texture. There were smudges of dirt all over his face, as well as a few stray twigs stuck in the fabric of his shirt. Connie rubbed a hand over his head to slick off some of the water, brushing it aggressively in exasperation. “The cloak’s a bit damp, but it’s better than nothing until I get a fire started.”

“How are you going to get a fire started in this mess?” Armin asked weakly, accepting the cloak gratefully, his teeth still chattering an allegro rhythm. Connie ignored him, and began placing several sticks of wood from inside the cave into a sizeable clump. Armin managed a weak scoff, eyeing Connie incredulously. “You barely have any dry material to work with.”

Connie pulled out a small glass jar with what appeared to be sand. He opened it wordlessly, and began to dump out the contents before two small pitch black rocks emerged from the sand. He quickly grabbed one of the sticks, and pushed the two rocks towards the fire. Crouching down next to them, he gently blew on the rocks.

At first nothing happened, as Armin continued to stare skeptically at Connie. But then Connie blew again, and a slight pulse of light emanated from the rock. Armin’s jaw dropped open in surprise. “Y-you’ve been carrying around hot c-c-coals?” Armin asked disbelievingly.

“Well yeah, we all knew it was going to rain today, so I took some precautions in case something like this happened. Well, not exactly _this_ exact situation, but you get what I-“

“H-how did you k-know it was g-g-going to rain?”

Connie shrugged. “Just subtle stuff. Gray color was accumulating in the clouds; there was that humid breeze, basically all signs of a coming thunderstorm.”

The words were relaxed, but Armin couldn’t help but feel a slight pang in his gut. Shadis’s angry voice filled his head, _“There’s a difference between knowing information and applying it!”_

Armin stared dejectedly at the ground as Connie continued to slowly re-ignite the coal with short bursts of breath. He was left with his greatest enemy; his own thoughts. For all of the books he had read, all of the knowledge he had possessed, and he hadn’t been able to use any of it. And now he was lost, cold, and injured; completely dependent on this strange boy.

There was a slight pop, dragging Armin away from his troubling thoughts. He looked to see a small flame, gently licking against several branches. Almost immediately, the first wave of heat suffused the room. Connie sat back, breathless, but pleased looking. “Give it a minute to catch on a bit more, and then get closer.”

Armin nodded silently, and the two boys watched as the feeble flame slowly began to grow and spread across the intricate web of branches, until there was a sizeable fire crackling merrily away. Armin appreciatively scooted closer, feeling the heat slowly permeate his soaked garments. He turned towards Connie.“Thank yo-“

His words halfway out of his mouth when he froze. Connie didn’t seem to hear him, as he was in the midst of pulling off his rough woolen tunic, and draping it on an outcropping near the fire. The wavering light and shadow of the fire danced across his bare chest, still slick from the rain. Despite being of a small stature, every inch of him was honed and muscular. As the fire grew and illuminated the cave more and more, Armin could see the full extent of Connie’s torso. There was a web of dark gray scars crisscrossing down the left side of his chest, starting above the collarbone, and ending near his navel. Connie paused mid-stretch and shot Armin a curious look. “Why are you still wearing those clothes? You’d probably be better off at least taking your shirt off.”

Armin jerked his head up, realizing with horror that he had been quite obviously staring at Connie’s chest for the past minute. He stammered for a moment, feeling his cheeks turning a rosy red. “Oh! W-well, is it really _necessary_?” he asked, failing to keep the chattering of his teeth from interrupting his question.

Connie smiled patiently at the blushing prince. “The water in the tunic’ll take some time to get out. If you keep it on, all that cold water will keep you cold and miserable.”

He sat down on the opposite side of the fire, lifting a hand to swipe his head again, which caused Armin’s face to turn even redder as he saw every minute movement. He was suddenly regretting his ability to notice the small details, as his mind began to compartmentalize the small indents of his sharp biceps, and the flowing movement of his pectorals.  He tried to move, or respond, but was temporarily rooted to the spot.

_By the Walls, what is wrong with you?_ Armin thought angrily in an attempt to chide himself. But his consciousness was being slowly overpowered, until it was reduced to a tinny whistling in the back of his head. After a beat, Connie turned around, giving Armin a brand new view of his back muscles. Armin immediately noticed that the scars from the front were also prevalent on his back, in a haphazard patchwork of rough lines across the taut skin and muscle. “I can look away if you need to, and then you can wrap yourself in the cloak.” Connie said, interrupting Armin’s not-so-subtle cataloguing.

Finally Armin found his voice. “Oh-oh yeah, I’ll…do that…”

Reluctantly, Armin began to disrobe, inwardly lamenting how childish he sounded. He had one of the most complete grasps of language and grammatical use in the kingdom, and he was suddenly a blubbering mess. And it felt so unnatural, undressing in front of someone else, even though it made perfect sense due to the circumstances, and they weren’t even looking!

Armin struggled for a beat with the buttons of the tunic, as the kept slipping from the water. Fortunately, after a few more muttered oaths, he finally managed to pull the offending article off, and placed it on the rock next to Connie’s shirt. He could see a bluish tint to his usual pale skin along his arms and chest. A tremor shuddered its way through his body as a gust of wind blew in from the cave. He quickly pulled the cloak over him, and scooted closer to the fire, shivering mercilessly. “I-d-didn’t think that it-t-t would be s-s-o c-cold!” He muttered over his chattering teeth pulling his legs in to conserve heat.

Connie turned back around at the sound of Armin’s complaint. He shrugged his shoulders slightly. “It actually gets colder, but once you get used to it, it’s not so bad.”

“E-easy for y-y-you to say!” Armin groaned gloomily. “I’ve never had to experience such wretched weather like this before.”

There was a slight coolness to Connie’s voice when he responded. “I guess you’re right; when you’re used to roaring fires and all the food and service you could want, I guess it would be cold to you.”

Armin was stunned, why was this boy suddenly in a bad mood? He opened his mouth to retort, but another wave of shivering interrupted him. He opted instead to glower at the shirtless boy across the fire until the shivering petered off. “Well what are you e-even doing out here on your own? Huh? W-why were _you_ out here in the forest?”

“I _live_ in the forest, remember?” Connie replied frostily, still sounding uncharacteristically fed up.

“C-can’t we make it to your family’s house? W-wouldn’t it be warmer-“

“ _No_.” Connie said it was such an air of finality that Armin faltered, confused at the sudden change of tone.

“But wouldn’t a house be b-better safety against the storm-“

“Just…drop it, ok? We’re not moving. We’ll stay here for the night and I’ll carry you back to the palace in the morning.”

Armin slowly closed his mouth, eyeing the boy carefully. Connie was doing his best to look calm and aloof, but Armin could feel tension filling every nook and cranny of the tiny cave. He leaned back against one of the smooth rock outcrops. He now wanted nothing more than to fall asleep, to escape this awkward tension. _Should I…apologize-no, why would I apologize? He’s the one that suddenly turned offensive to me! To the prince!_

“Try to get some sleep, I’ll keep the fire up,” Connie said quietly. He no longer sounded antagonistic. Rather, he sounded tired. Not physically tired, but mentally.

He made no movement to register Connie’s statement. He squeezed his eyes shut, determined to fall asleep. Slowly, ever so slowly, the sounds of the pouring rain and the crackling of the fire began to fade into the background. A peaceful silence took its place, as Armin slowly nodded off.

 

* * *

 

Armin jolted awake, gasping for breath. The air that entered his lungs was frigid, and set Armin into a ragged coughing fit. His skin felt like ice; every fiber of his body was trembling from the deep chill that felt as if it was permeating him to the core. He tried to clutch the cloak closer to him, but his arms wouldn’t obey his commands; they merely jerked haphazardly at the folds of the cloth. His eyes searched the cave. To his horror, he saw that the fire had dwindled down to small embers, weakly flickering in the night air.

_Oh God,_ Armin thought to himself, _I’m going to freeze, I’m going to-_ he erupted in another loud fit of coughing. With a mumbled oath, Connie’s silhouette jerked up from the shadows. “What in the-ah shit, the fire!”

His shadow surged forward, all traces of sleep gone in an instant. He quickly snatched several branches and bent to blow deftly on the embers. After a few terse moments, the ember grudgingly gave up a single shivering flame. Connie quickly grabbed a handful of twigs, and gently placed them around the solitary flame. The blaze licked desperately at the dry branches, and slowly began to grow once again. Once the smaller twigs had all caught successfully, Connie placed a few bigger branches on top, and lay back against the wall with a sigh.

“Whew, that was almost a…a-Prince Armin are you all right?”

With the new light from the fire, Armin could now see his body jerking violently beneath the blankets. He tried to say something, but his voice wouldn’t sound out, only a pitiful moan emanated from his trembling lips.

Connie rushed to the other side of the fire, placing a gentle hand on Armin’s forehead. “Shit,” he whispered, fear evident in his voice. He stared at Armin, his golden eyes wide in the flickering light. “You’re getting colder, shit shit shit!”

He pulled the other cloak over Armin, but to no avail, Armin couldn’t feel his arms or the ends of his legs, it was all just so cold. Another piteous moan rattled through his throat.

“Ok, ok, God! Ok just hold on, I can help you. But it might be, uh awkward, is that ok?”

Armin tried to nod, but his head was shaking so violently that he honestly didn’t think it would look any different. “I’ll take that as a yes,” Connie said decisively.

He quickly dropped to the floor, and with a forceful motion, pulled the cloaks off of Armin. Armin tried to cling to the vestige of warmth covering his torso, but Connie wrapped his arms around Armin’s naked waist, and pulled him back, until he found himself seated on Connie’s lap. Connie then threw the blankets back over both of them, encircling Armin’s chest with his arms, and pressing his body into Armin’s.

At first, Armin felt nothing different. Nothing but pressure, and cold, and numbness. But slowly, he began to feel a spark of heat. Connie was pressing as much of his own frame against Armin’s back as he could, slowly heating the prince up with his own body. Armin could feel the strong yet gentle grip of Connie’s arms pulled tightly against his bare skin; he felt his back melding into Connie’s wide chest. Connie’s head was pressed into the small of his neck, breathing heavy puffs of warm moist air down his back.

As Armin continued to warm up, he began to detect a strong musky scent. It smelled like the outdoors; of freshly tilled earth, with a slight tinge of sweat. As Armin grew warmer, his mind grew number; not from the cold and the rain, but from the sensation of being so close to another person. He could _feel_ the frantic beat of Connie’s heart, sending shockwaves through his back, almost perfectly in time with his own.

“Why-why is your heart beating so fast?” Armin croaked meekly.

There was no answer at first, and Armin was about to let it go, before Connie abruptly answered, his voice slightly muffled from being pressed into the back of his neck. “Oh it’s…I just…I’ve never really-really done this before. I didn’t want to make it awkward or-“

“N-no, it’s fine, I…mine’s going just as fast.”

There was another pause. “I guess I was also afraid that you were hurt.”

Armin felt his face flush again, and hoped Connie didn’t notice.

“Oh good, there’s some color on the back of your neck, you must be warming up.”

_Goddamnit_

“I’m sorry about earlier.”

Armin leapt at the chance to change the subject, now acutely aware of every place that he could feel Connie’s body meeting his skin. “What do you mean?”

“I…I snapped at you about living in the palace, and that’s not my place.”

Armin sighed. “No, it wasn’t fair of me. You’ve had an entirely different life than me, and I was just angry about hurting my leg, and being cold, and realizing that I _don’t_ know everything. I’m sorry too.”

The apology had left his mouth before he even realized it, but rather than feeling annoyance for caving in, he felt relieved. His back was considerably warmer now, and he was able to relax those tensed muscles, and lean back slightly into Connie’s torso. The two boys were quiet for a time, Connie only moving once to throw another branch onto the fire. As he moved, Armin felt a rough sensation skimming along where his and Connie’s skin met. In a rush, he remembered the striking gray markings running along his torso. “How did you get that scar?”

Connie didn’t immediately answer, and when he did, it was slow and pointed. “From an…an accident.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to pry, I was just curious is all. It-it looks good. As good as scars can be I suppose, but…no that’s-that must be pretty rude of me to say…” Armin trailed off, feeling exceedingly foolish.

Connie gave a small snort. “It’s fine,” he said.

There was another lull of silence. Armin felt much better now; the shaking had subsided to minor trembles, and Connie’s warmth was suffusing his body. His eyes were beginning to droop again, when Connie abruptly spoke. “There was…a fire when I was little.”

His voice was tinged with emotion. Armin fidgeted slightly, feeling a thrill of unease.

“I don’t know what…what caused it, I was asleep in my room. And I woke up, and-and there was smoke everywhere. Just filling up the room. And I tried to get out, and I opened my door, and there was fire all over. Someone was screaming. Just…screaming a long drawn out-“

Connie had to stop for a moment; his voice was cracking from the stress of his confession. Armin’s heart was in his chest. He hadn’t expected this; he thought it had been from a duel, or a tree, not-

“And I tried to make it out, but when I ran outside, one of the burning wooden beams broke down, and swiped me from behind. Knocked me out cold, and tore up my back.”

“God…”

“When I came to, the log was still on me, I had to scoot over onto my stomach to get enough strength to push it off, and the embers burned me while I was moving. The villagers found me, and treated me, but the scars never really went away.”

Armin didn’t want to ask, he already had guessed the answer, but his curiosity had to be sated. “What…what about your family?”

“They’re gone.”

Armin swallowed, feeling a stiff dry sensation in the back of his throat. “I’m sorry,” he said meekly, hating how empty and meaningless the words felt as they left his mouth.

“It’s all right, it happened a long time ago; I barely remember it.”

“And you’ve been here in the woods all this time?” Armin asked incredulously.

Connie gave a short grunt of affirmation. “The village helped raise me, kept me fed, but yeah. It’s peaceful here. And I’m a decent hunter, so I have wares to sell. I don’t know. I guess…when I’m out here, when I’m in the middle of nowhere, I can pretend that I’m the only human. No one else ever existed.”

Armin paused to think about the implications, but Connie began speaking louder. Armin could hear the exertion of his voice. “ ‘Cause if that’s true, then my-my parents never died! No one’s ever had to hear their brother screaming, or walk through a town and see a sea of sympathetic eyes just-just STARING at you! It’s just the sun, the rain, the wind that lets you know you’re alive, you’re still alive, not dead or-or-FUCK!”

Connie’s breaths came in ragged rasps, as he finally quieted, and rested his head back on Armin’s shoulder. Armin’s eyes were wide with horror. He had never _ever_ heard of such a tragedy. Of course, people would come with problems to the king’s court, but they were over trivial things; money, property, ownership, and the like. It was never something so…real before.

“ ‘M sorry,” he muttered. “I shouldn’t be bothering you with all of that-“

Timidly, Armin placed his hand over Connie’s, and gave it a light but reassuring squeeze. “Connie, I am so sorry. I had no idea; I didn’t mean to force you to tell something so painful.” Armin said softly.

Connie’s hand momentarily shied away from the touch in surprise. But once he took a moment to realize where the hand was coming from, he relaxed.

“No need to apologize,” he said roughly. “It’s done, it can’t be undone. All that we can do is keep looking forward.”

“That’s…remarkably insightful,” Armin said thoughtfully. He paused a beat. “You know, you’re nothing like what I imagined you to be when I first saw you.” He finally said.

Connie gave a dark chuckle. “I can honestly say the same thing. I had always thought that meeting Prince Armin would’ve been somehow-“

“Just call me Armin.”

Connie paused, and Armin could feel his gaze boring into the back of his head. “Is…is that allowed?”

Armin puffed out his chest weakly, attempting to hide his nerves. “I’m the prince, aren’t I?”

Connie gave a soft relaxed laugh. “I suppose you are. All right. Let’s try and sleep a bit more…Armin.”

Armin’s heart gave a slight flutter at being addressed so…personally.

 

 

* * *

 

Armin’s eyes slowly drifted open, a welcome change to the violent awakening he had experienced only hours ago. He hadn't remembered falling asleep. The last thing he remembered was a feeling of butterflies in his stomach. Through the shroud of sleep, he could see the sky beginning to lighten; morning was on the way.

Armin’s legs and arms had finally stopped their feverish twitching. Armin slowly stretched them experimentally, and shifted slightly-and felt a pressure poking at him. Armin frowned. That hadn’t been there before. Maybe when he had stretched, a rock had come loose and lodged it’s way in. Armin shifted again, attempting to move the lump. Instead, the pressure grew, and behind him, Connie gave a stifled gasp.

“What? What is it?” Armin asked, trying to turn to see Connie. Connie had hastily let go of Armin, and was hiding his face in his hands. He was whispering miserably under his breath, “ _I’msorry i’msosorry i’msosorry!”_

“What are you-“ Armin stopped dead. He suddenly realized that he was still perched on Connie’s lap. He slowly looked down, and then immediately toppled off in surprise.

Where Armin had been sitting, there was a subtle but noticeable bump rising from the center of Connie’s pants, pulling against the rough fabric and drawing it tight. Armin saw it for a second, before Connie drew his legs in, hunching his body in a failed attempt to hide his erection.

“I’m so sorry Armin, when you shifted you were right on-on top of it, oh my god I’m so sorry!” Connie said frantically, with a mixture of horror, disgust, and fear.

Armin saw the utter shame in Connie’s eyes, and felt such a visceral sense of pity for him that he immediately wanted to reassure him somehow, to let him know that it was all right. He had saved him, treated him, protected him, and had spilled his darkest secrets to him, with nothing to gain from it. There was something so…attractive about that primal innocence that Armin loved.  Tentatively, he reached out and laid a hand on one of Connie’s knees. Connie looked up, surprise registering on his face. With a rush of bravado, Armin firmly but gently pushed down on the knee, lowering Connie’s legs until they were straight on the ground again.

He locked eyes briefly with Connie, who now looked completely confused. Armin gave a short reassuring smile, before awkwardly hoisting himself up, careful not to use his bad leg, and seated himself stubbornly back on top of Connie’s lap, this time facing the boy, only inches away from his face. Connie opened his mouth to protest, but Armin deliberately shifted another imperceptible inch, and Connie’s protest was replaced by a guttural whine.

Armin felt several primal emotions all at once. First and foremost he felt surprised. Armin had never imagined that a situation like this would ever take place. But here he was with this boy, and he had chosen to take the initiative, to make the next step.

He also felt…pride? He knew he looked impeccable from a princely standard, but had never imagined that his actions could cause such a viscerally arousing reaction in another person. The boy was making small sighs and gasps of pleasure, and it was because of Armin.

Finally Armin felt longing. He had felt strangely ever since the boy had removed his shirt. Ever since he had shared his past. He was handsome, strong, and pure of heart. But more than that, he had put himself in a compromising situation to ensure that Armin had stayed warm throughout the night. And as a prince, it was hit duty to reward an honorable action such as that.

Armin slowly reached out and grabbed the back of Connie’s head, feeling the soft bristles slide easily through his fingers. He flashed an uncharacteristically mischievous grin, drinking in the sight of Connie’s confused and breathless face, before leaning forward, and gently laying a quick kiss on his lower lip. Connie gave a small gasp, but it was stifled as Armin proceeded to leave a trail of kisses down his neck.

“P-prince Armin!” Connie choked.

Armin chuckled softly. “Just Armin, remember?” With his right hand, he began to gently glide his hand over Connie’s chest, feeling and probing the quivering muscles as he peppered his neck with small frenzied pecks. At the same time, he began to rock back and forth ever so slowly over the swelling mass. Connie convulsed as Armin’s fingers brushed his nipples. Armin took the incentive, and drew his tongue slowly over his chest, poking and prodding the darkened nubs of flesh, feeling the musky scent invade his nostrils, filling him with Connie’s scent.

“A-Armin please! Please may I…uh…reciprocate?” Connie choked out, overwhelmed by the bombardment of stimuli coming at him from multiple angles.

Armin gently kissed the tip of his ear, and whispered into it. “Permission granted.”

Connie’s hands hesitantly rose, and gently grasped handfuls of Armin’s golden hair, pulling his head forward, until it met Connies. Unlike Armin’s teasing peppering of kisses, Connie’s was long and deep, his tongue gently caressing the caverns of Armin’s mouth, sliding and moving. Armin tried to break away for air, but Connie was insistent, and continued to steal Armin’s breath in heavy drags and breaths.

Armin’s mind was growing numb. But it was different from before. Before, his mind was shutting down to shut out the possibility of embarrassment. This, was shutting down all of the dreary things, letting him focus solely on this moment, this time.

Armin’s hand gently trailed down Connie’s chest, and lightly graced the scarred tissue. At this, Connie finally broke the kiss, and pulled away. He was panting from the exertion, but his eyes were suddenly cowed and submissive. “I-I’m sorry-“

His apology was stifled by Armin’s hand over his mouth. Armin stared deeply into those golden pools of light. “You have _nothing_ to be ashamed of. They’re beautiful.”

To emphasize his point, Armin sidled back, and leaned down, slowly tracing the intricate patchwork with his tongue, softly passing every rough indentation with the slippery muscle.

“O-Oh, oh God!” Connie exclaimed at the sensation. His hands fumbled wildly in the dirt, attempting to pull himself up, but he was undeniably unable to respond at this point.

Armin continued down Connie’s chest and stomach, allowing his tongue to explore every nook and cranny that Connie’s sharp quivering abdominal muscles had to offer. Connie was grasping and squeezing Armin’s shoulders, but was unable to do much else, except to continually voice his pleasure at the continued stimulus.

Abruptly, an obstacle barred Armin’s progress; Connie’s dirty cloth trousers. Armin gave a small sigh of exasperation, and slid down off of Connie’s lap, and began to fiddle with the clasp. He was so engrossed with the task, that he didn’t see Connie leaning down, until he felt a soft pressure on his forehead. He looked up, to see Connie pressing a single gentle kiss into his hair.

It was a small gesture, but to Armin, it drove everything home. It was a kiss that conveyed real emotion, not just the primal urges they were both feeling. Despite the sexual tension lingering in the air, and the onslaught of touch, taste, and smell, Connie was taking a moment to show a true moment of intimancy. And in Armin’s eyes, nothing was more genuine, or attractive.

Armin gently lifted his head, and placed an equally soft kiss on Connie’s cheek, brushing his lips against the rough skin. The two boys smiled at each other, nonverbally acknowledging their actions. Then, with a final jerk, the clasp came undone, and Armin quickly pulled Connie’s pants down to is legs. His legs were equally toned, with small hairy bristles, but none of that mattered to Armin right now. He was focused on the now visible mass that had been growing over the duration of their interactions.

Armin reached out, and traced the throbbing erection. Connie’s moans reached a higher pitch. Armin wrapped his hand around the shaft, and gave it a few experimental tugs. It was warmer than he had expected, and felt sturdy in his hand. The musky scent from earlier was compounding to the point of Armins mouth watering for that scent, that feeling.

“Please…Armin please….” Connie whined piteously.

Armin opened his mouth, and eagerly welcomed Connie’s cock. It was a salty cloying taste. Armin let his tongue eagerly lap at the warm flesh, caressing the fleshy tissue as he experimentally bobbed forward and backwards, falling into a rhythm. Connie’s hands were interwoven into Armin’s locks, making small noises of delight.

Back and forth, Armin moved, attempting to let the mass enter further into his mouth. A droplet of precum dribbled onto his tongue as he continued to work. Armin flushed at the thought. _I’m doing this, I’m causing this. God, what a feeling!_

Steeling himself, Armin deepthroated Connie’s erection. He felt the tip of the head brushing the back of his throat ever so slightly, and resisted the natural tickling sensation to cough, and instead began to suck on the mass, attempting to coax the load out.

“O-ooh Armin, I’m gonna, I’m gonna-“

A milky deluge filled Armin’s mouth as Connie spasmed violently from his seat. Armin again resisted the urge to cough, and pulled back a bit, but continued to suck on the member, drawing all of the remnants of the cum into his mouth, and proceeding to swallow deeply. It was warm and gummy, proving difficult to swallow it all in one go, so he had to take several small ones. He raised his eyes to see Connie lying back, with his hand over his face breathing heavily.

“Oh fuck Armin, fuck…”

Armin coughed slightly, and caught a shimmering glob of cum in his finger. With his other hand, Armin gestured to Connie, who meekly turned over, now on all fours on the cave floor, atop the damp cloaks. Armin gently ran a finger down the crevice of Connie’s supple ass, watching Connie quiver in anticipation.

He pried apart the firm cheeks, to reveal the small brown indentation of Connie’s anus. He took his cum covered finger, and gently spread the sticky substance over the entrance. “I’m going to stretch you first, are you ok with that?”

Connie nodded violently. Armin slowly began to worm one of his fingers into the tight cavity, pausing every few seconds, to make sure that he was moving at a slow pace. He could feel Connie squirming and thrashing at the new sensation. Once the first finger was finally in, Armin added another finger, gently pushing and thrusting the fingers deeper into Connie’s anus.

After several minutes, Armin was satisfied, and Connie had cum again. Armin tugged at his own erection, seating himself on the stone floor, and lathering his cock with the second dose of Connie’s expulsion. “Are you ready?” Armin asked cautiously.

Connie nodded. There was fear in his eyes, but also a hungry longing look that Armin recognized all too well. Armin gave his mass one more thrust, before gesturing for Connie.

Connie slowly stood, and straddled Armin. Slowly, he lowered himself down, towards Armin. His hands were stretching his cavity, when he caught his leg in his trousers, slipped on a pile of pebbles, and came crashing down to the ground next to Armin.

“Connie! Are you ok?” Armin asked worriedly.

There was a split second of silence, before there a deep laugh echoed throughout the chamber. Connie’s eyes were shut, his head leaning back and mouth open wide in a roaring laugh. “Hahaha I can’t believe I just fucking _fell_ off of you! Haha I’m the world’s worst romantic ever!”

Armin’s worry dissolved, as he began to laugh as well. Sex had always been touted as such a serious and intimate affair. And here he was with a busted leg and a wet dick, laughing his head off at his partner who had just fallen off of him. And this felt right somehow. That they were unafraid to laugh about their insecurities about their pre-conceived notions of sex, and were able to still find humor and light-heartedness.

For several minutes, the two boys let out the rest of their nervousness in laughter. Whenever one began to get control, the other one would start chuckling, and set the other off. The sun had begun to rise by the time their laughter died down.

“Ready to try it again?”

Connie grinned. “Hell yeah, and if I mess up again, we can just waste another hour laughing.”

Armin chuckled, and spread his legs, giving Connie more room to balance. Connie once again carefully stepped over Armin, and began lowering himself. This time, he didn’t fall over, and matched up the entrance with Armin’s dick. Slowly, Connie pushed down, and Armin’s cock began to gradually enter Connie’s cavity. Connie paused, grimacing in pain.

“Do you need to stop?” Armin asked again.

Connie shook his head. “No, I just need to adjust.”

Connie shifted slightly, and then began to lower himself, until he was seated on Armin’s chest. Armin could feel the intense pressure of Connie’s anus completely swathing his erection in a warm orgasmic prison. Armin gently pushed up slightly with his pelvis.

“Ah!” Connie breathed, his entire body jolting as if shocked.

Armin grinned broadly, loving the sensation being exuded from his member. “Hit the sweet spot?”

“God!” Connie moaned, a dribble of drool trailing off of his lips. “Again Armin, please, give it to me!”

Armin bucked again, harder this time. Connie moaned in earnest, his body spasming again. “More! More Armin!”

Armin readily complied, starting anoher familiar rythym of up and down, up and down. Each pump brought a series of gasps and moans from Connie’s mouth. He seemed incapable of controlling himself. Drool dribbled freely from his gasping mouth, tears leaking out of his eyes, as he forced his shaking body to push down into Armin.

“Ug-augh!” Armin gasped. He was coming close now, faster, harder, faster harder! He pumped up and down with a desperate hungering ferocity as Connie buckled and sobbed in ectasy.

“I’m gonna-“

“Armin I’m-“

Simultaneously, both boys came. Armin felt his warm load filling up the remainder of the cavity, while a creamy arc exploded from Connie’s dick, falling in intricate patterns on Armin’s chest. With a final groan, Connie pulled himself off and out of Armin, and collapsed on top of Armin. “My god,” he murmured softly, barely able to string together two words.

“That was….amazing” Armin whispered, embracing the naked boy, and laying a soft kiss on his sweaty cheek.

 

* * *

 

Armin stared at the sunny glade, as Connie trudged onward, carrying him on his back. He was walking slightly different from last night. Armin concealed a knowing smile, even though Connie couldn’t see it. “How far are we from the town?”

“Not too far,” Connie said easily as they passed several wide oaks. “You’ll wanna get your leg looked at straight away. Maybe…when it’s healed you can come visit?”

“I was actually thinking about that,” Armin said thoughtfully. “Probably not. Especially with this latest stunt of mine, I’ll be surprised if they let me out at all.”

“Oh,” Connie said slowly, his shoulders visibly sagging.

“But I was thinking,” Armin said, rushing to change his mood, “you seem to know a lot about implementing practical knowledge, and I’m in need of a tutor…do you think you’d be interested in living in the castle as a tutor?”

Connie froze mid-step, and let go of Armin’s legs, dropping Armin on top of a tree stump. “Ow!” Armin yelped at his stinging rump, “give me some warning next time!”

“Live…in the castle?” Connie asked softly, staring off into the distance. “I’ve…I’ve never lived in anything other than my little cabin. How would I act? What would I-no, I couldn’t do it-“

Armin firmly grabbed Connie’s arm, pulling him around to face him. He glared sternly at him. “As long as I vouch for you, you can act any way you want. And I vouch for you…if you’ll have me, that is.”

Connie looked away, a slight blush working its way into his cheeks. “I never thought someone would fight for me like that.” He said softly.

Armin pulled Connie down until they were eye to eye. “I love you. I love your heart, your mind, your strength, your courage, your body, your scars. I love you. Completely, and totally.”

Connie looked pointedly at Armin for a moment, before taking a seat next to him, grasping Armin’s hand within his. The summer wind carried a scent of lavender through the branches, sunlight twinkling on the damp leaves.

“I love you too.”


End file.
